My little VZ 33 in 7x57

Man, that rifle is so beautiful that I want to buy her a sports car and put her up in an apartment for just the two of us! ;-)
@cash_tx
I would prefer to hold and cuddle up to my wife and take that rifle out hunting. If it gets a few scratches it tells a story of enjoyable hunts. No use locking it away.
Bob
 
@Flewis
Why???? It was made to hunt not hide in a safe. That would be a crying shame.
A bit like owning Bentley to keep in the garage while you dive a Chevy nova. No point.
Bob
Bob I headed out hunting in the pouring rain this morning. Not the place for that master piece. I would 4 wheel a Bentley first.
 
This is my 7X57, built on a G33/40 action by Harry Creighton and stocked by the Fajen custom shop in 1970. It has seen some hard use since then, including a trip to Africa in 1974, where it accounted for several head of plains game, including two brindled wildebeest in about a minute, the second one at a dead run, each with one shot. And this record book Peter's gazelle.
Mauser G33-40 (2).png
Peters' gazelle 001 (2).PNG
 
This is my 7X57, built on a G33/40 action by Harry Creighton and stocked by the Fajen custom shop in 1970. It has seen some hard use since then, including a trip to Africa in 1974, where it accounted for several head of plains game, including two brindled wildebeest in about a minute, the second one at a dead run, each with one shot. And this record book Peter's gazelle.View attachment 503946View attachment 503951
That is a beautiful piece with great history! Thank you for sharing that!
 
This is my 7X57, built on a G33/40 action by Harry Creighton and stocked by the Fajen custom shop in 1970. It has seen some hard use since then, including a trip to Africa in 1974, where it accounted for several head of plains game, including two brindled wildebeest in about a minute, the second one at a dead run, each with one shot. And this record book Peter's gazelle.View attachment 503946View attachment 503951
That is beautiful, thanks for sharing!
 
This is my 7x57mm Mauser- A Churchill Gunmakers Model Deluxe that was assembled in Karachi, Pakistan.
2C5BFAE8-6677-4C58-BB46-D4FD70042208.jpeg
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Yeah, we’ve had some great adventures together and will hopefully continue to in the long haul.
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My all time favorite cartridge for what I'm able to hunt and I just can't believe I have ever taken game with any other chambering that I couldn't have taken with like results using my 7x57!
 
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Those are some magnificent animals!! What bullet weight did you use?
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You’re too kind. I always opt for 170+Gr weight. Most of the game were taken with the old Winchester Super-X 175Gr cup & core soft nose factory loads (now discontinued). Except the gemsboks, which were taken with Sellier & Bellot 175Gr Nosler Partition factory loads. Unfortunately, I don’t think S&B makes them anymore.

It’s really sad, but 170+Gr factory loaded ammunition for the 7x57mm Mauser seems to be dying. Prvi Partizan discontinued their 173Gr factory load. P.M.P used to make a really good 170Gr factory load in S.A, but P.M.P is gone too.

It appears that the only currently manufactured heavy-for-caliber factory loads for the 7x57mm Mauser are-
Sellier & Bellot 173Gr S.P.C.E
Brenneke 177Gr T.I.G
Federal 175Gr Powershok (but I really, really disgust this one)
 
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View attachment 510527
You’re too kind. I always opt for 170+Gr weight. Most of the game were taken with the old Winchester Super-X 175Gr cup & core soft nose factory loads (now discontinued). Except the gemsboks, which were taken with Sellier & Bellot 175Gr Nosler Partition factory loads. Unfortunately, I don’t think S&B makes them anymore.

It’s really sad, but 170+Gr factory loaded ammunition for the 7x57mm Mauser seems to be dying. Prvi Partizan discontinued their 173Gr factory load. P.M.P used to make a really good 170Gr factory load in S.A, but P.M.P is gone too.

It appears that the only currently manufactured heavy-for-caliber factory loads for the 7x57mm Mauser are-
Sellier & Bellot 173Gr S.P.C.E
Brenneke 177Gr T.I.G
Federal 175Gr Powershok (but I really, really disgust this one)
Thanks for the reply.
God willing, my wife, grandson and myself will be hunting with DeKlerk in June. I was thinking about taking my 7x57 as the only rifle if I can't hunt lion by then. My grandson wants to kill a zebra. I have some 175 Hornady bullets I can load for it. Has anyone heard anything good or bad about those?
If lions can still be hunted I'll take my .375.
 
Thanks for the reply.
God willing, my wife, grandson and myself will be hunting with DeKlerk in June. I was thinking about taking my 7x57 as the only rifle if I can't hunt lion by then. My grandson wants to kill a zebra. I have some 175 Hornady bullets I can load for it. Has anyone heard anything good or bad about those?
If lions can still be hunted I'll take my .375.
Hornady Interlock 175Gr is a very good bullet, assuming that you put a proportionate charge of powder in the case. Federal uses this bullet for their Powershok line of 7x57mm Mauser ammunition. But they put in a really small charge of powder. Velocity is advertised as 2390fps, but it's actually 2226fps (I chronographed the velocity out of my Churchill and also a friend's BRNO ZKK600).

I know that you'll do really well. Based on my personal experiences in the field with all the lions that I've shot with a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum, my favorite lion bullet has to be the 300Gr Nosler Partition hands down. Least favorite lion bullet is the Barnes T.S.X.
 
Hornady Interlock 175Gr is a very good bullet, assuming that you put a proportionate charge of powder in the case. Federal uses this bullet for their Powershok line of 7x57mm Mauser ammunition. But they put in a really small charge of powder. Velocity is advertised as 2390fps, but it's actually 2226fps (I chronographed the velocity out of my Churchill and also a friend's BRNO ZKK600).

I know that you'll do really well.
Thank you again sir.
 
Thanks for the reply.
God willing, my wife, grandson and myself will be hunting with DeKlerk in June. I was thinking about taking my 7x57 as the only rifle if I can't hunt lion by then. My grandson wants to kill a zebra. I have some 175 Hornady bullets I can load for it. Has anyone heard anything good or bad about those?
If lions can still be hunted I'll take my .375.
I loaded a batch of the Hornady 175 gr round nose bullets in in my FN Mauser 7x57. Shot very accurately at about 2550 fps. I shot numerous species of game with them in the bushveld. They worked well.
I have one recovered point from a large Waterbuck shot on the Matlebaas River in Limpopo. It was a frontal chest shot at under a 100m and the animal dropped immediately.

EE8E33F9-A3A5-46C6-83A7-75AA3A362ED0.jpeg
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I loaded a batch of the Hornady 175 gr round nose bullets in in my FN Mauser 7x57. Shot very accurately at about 2550 fps. I shot numerous species of game with them in the bushveld. They worked well.
I have one recovered point from a large Waterbuck shot on the Matlebaas River in Limpopo. It was a frontal chest shot at under a 100m and the animal dropped immediately.

View attachment 511198View attachment 511199
Looks like perfect performance to me. Thanks for the info.
 
I loaded a batch of the Hornady 175 gr round nose bullets in in my FN Mauser 7x57. Shot very accurately at about 2550 fps. I shot numerous species of game with them in the bushveld. They worked well.
I have one recovered point from a large Waterbuck shot on the Matlebaas River in Limpopo. It was a frontal chest shot at under a 100m and the animal dropped immediately.

View attachment 511198View attachment 511199
My favorite bullet in the 7X57!
 

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